Little-cited facts: Ringo Starr was the first of The Beatles to release a post-break-up album, 1970’s “Sentimental Journey.” He was the second to have a charting solo hit, April 1971’s “It Don’t Come Easy,” just a month after John Lennon’s “Instant Karma.”

And except for Paul McCartney, Starr has released the most post-Beatles discs – now numbering 16 studio discs with January’s “Ringo 2012.”

But he’s also sold by far the least solo records. Which may help explain why, in this 50th anniversary year of The Beatles’ first topping the U.S. charts, he’s again on tour with a heavy-duty supporting line up of Toto’s Steve Lukather, Todd Rundgren, Gregg Rolie of Santana & Journey, Mr. Mister’s Richard Page and more.

How much was vocal trio Crosby, Stills & Nash destined to be icons? How about the fact that the trio’s first public concert was at the historic Woodstock festival in 1969?

The band’s fortune has continued in the 43 years since: Winning the 1970 Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1970, more than 30 million albums sold (including three that hit No. 1) and the classic hits “Teach Your Children,” “Wasted on the Way” and “Southern Cross.” Word is their intricate vocal harmonies remain intact.

The last times the full trio played the Valley (Crosby and Nash played Easton’s State Theatre in 2011) it sold out Musikfest’s main stage in 2004 and had a near-sellout crowd of 6,200 in 2009.

The rising tide of Mumford & Sons and The Avett Brothers is lifting all boats of earthy Americana groups. But The Felice Brothers have been floating along pretty well for years, thank you.

When the band first played the Philadelphia Folk Festival in 2008, it already was being touted as poised for breakthrough and compared with Bob Dylan and The Band circa The Basement Tapes (they’re from New York's Hudson River Valley, where that disc was made).

The band has made good on that promise. Its 2009 disc “Yonder is the Clock” hit Top 20 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, and after going electric for 2011’s “Celebration, Florida,” that disc hit No. 5 on the Heatseekers chart and cracked the Folk chart Top 10.

Kenny G may be one of the least likely music stars of the past 20 years: A jazz saxophonist.

He has sold more than 50 million copies of his studio, holiday, live and compilation albums -- including an astounding 12 million copies of his 1992 "Breathless."

Yes, most of those sales came in the instrumental-music obsessed early 1990s. (See an interview with Yanni on Lehigh Valley Music on June 22). But even Kenny G’s self-titled 1982 debut album was gold.

Perhaps that wave has passed. He hasn’t had a platinum album since 1999 and his last four haven’t even hit gold. But he still topped the jazz chart with 2010’s “Heart and Soul,” and he has a new disc due out June 26.

Leon Redbone is known for his interpretations of early 20th-century music, including jazz and blues standards and Tin Pan Alley classics. He’s known for his trademark Panama Hat, dark sunglasses, and bow tie.

He’s also known for his semi-regular appearances on “Saturday Night Live” in the 1970s and ‘80s, singing the theme to the 1980s television sitcom “Mr. Belvedere” and the television commercial for All laundry detergent.

But mostly he’s known for being a true original who has wowed even Bob Dylan (who, before Redbone had a recording contract, raved to Rolling Stone magazine about him.)

In the tradition of the famous Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Listen Live Music continues its series that brings together four songwriters to swap tunes in an intimate setting. Bonus: Table service of cheese/fruit and hummus plates and desserts.

JOHN J. MOSER has been around long enough to have seen the original Ramones in a small club in New Jersey, U2 from the fourth row of a theater and Bob Dylan's born-again tours. But he also has the number for All-American Rejects' Nick Wheeler on his cell phone, wrote the first story ever done on Jack's Mannequin and hung out in Wiz Khalifa's hotel room.

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS

JODI DUCKETT: As The Morning Call's assistant features editor responsible for entertainment, she spends a lot of time surveying the music landscape and sizing up the Valley's festivals and club scene. She's no expert, but enjoys it all — especially artists who resonated in her younger years, such as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Tracy Chapman, Santana and Joni Mitchell.

KATHY LAUER-WILLIAMS enjoys all types of music, from roots rock and folk to classical and opera. Music has been a constant backdrop to her life since she first sat on the steps listening to her mother’s Broadway LPs when she was 2. Since becoming a mother herself, she has become well-versed on the growing genre of kindie rock and, with her son in tow, can boast she has seen a majority of the current kid’s performers from Dan Zanes to They Might Be Giants.

STEPHANIE SIGAFOOS: A Jersey native raised in Northeast PA, she was reared in a house littered with 8-tracks, 45s and cassette tapes of The Beatles, Elvis, Meatloaf and Billy Joel. She also grew up on the sounds of Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw and can be found traversing the countryside in search of the sounds of a steel guitar. A fan of today's 'new country,' she digs mainstream/country-pop crossovers like Lady Antebellum and Sugarland and other artists that illustrate the genre's diversity.